Hurd: Zito not far removed from being very good

Yea, and I’m not far removed from playing on that Mordecai Shehori boogie-woogie piano tour…

How both sides plan to accomplish this is the $126 million question, of course. Manager Bruce Bochy hinted strongly that Zito may take a detour to the bullpen because “there’s no getting around” the fact that the status quo isn’t working. Zito, for his part, “definitely want(s) the ball.”

So at least we know Zito’s fight is OK, and that is no small thing. Zito said that “saying ‘screw it’ is not an option (because) you can’t do that in life.” He’s right. But that doesn’t mean the temptation isn’t there and that more than just a handful of athletes haven’t succumbed to it.

...Trouble is when it goes missing, because it takes more than devouring videotape for mechanical flaws to get it back. Zito’s lack of velocity and inability to command the zone may be killing him—his eight-pitch leadoff walk to Jerry Hairston Jr. set the tone for a six-run, 39-pitch first inning—but when Zito speaks of “not being aggressive, not attacking the strike zone, and not pitching to contact,” it’s worth wondering if his troubles may be originating elsewhere.

It would make sense, because self-confidence and success go together like the chicken and the egg, and right now, the wolf has invaded and eaten both.